


The Soldier's Gunsmith

by Flamebird38



Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: Alcohol, Bangpart, F/F, Girls Kissing, Guilty Pleasures, Kissing, LGBTQ Character of Color, LGBTQ Female Character, One Shot, Slow Build, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:01:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25841761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flamebird38/pseuds/Flamebird38
Summary: Hands sweaty and eyes darting, Anita Williams never thought someone could make her so nervous. Ramya Parekh, her trusted gunsmith, was funny, gorgeous, and just an all-around pleasure. When the two meet up during hiatus for what seemed like a simple exchange, it quickly gets turned into the whirlwind they were both hoping for.
Relationships: Bangalore | Anita Williams/Rampart | Ramya Parekh
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16





	The Soldier's Gunsmith

**Author's Note:**

> Did I base this off a single 14-second audio clip? Yes, yes I did.  
> Do I know anything about Rampart? No, no I do not.  
> But I still did it anyway :)
> 
> For the Record: I wrote this before Rampart’s official info was out... I imagined her being in her thirties like Bangalore. I don’t personally enjoy large age gaps and have a real-life personal rule against them. However, I will keep this story as is as long as the little “headcanon” of Rampart being in her thirties is understood, and that I do not condone a relationship between Bangalore and Rampart with the large canon age difference.

Hiatus. The simple word meant everything to the Legends. It gave them the rest they desperately needed and craved. Every Legend spent this time relaxing in a different way. Some went to their favorite local spots, others simply went home to relax, and others decided to catch up with friends. However, almost all of them had the tradition of replacing all water with alcohol. 

For Bangalore, or more commonly just Anita now that she could get back to everyday life, this was no exception. Her first stop when hiatus hit is always a bar… any bar. She always tries to convince herself that the stash she has at home is just as good as getting from an establishment… cheaper too. But it never seems to work, and during this hiatus, she has a reason to go out.

The Binge Tap wasn’t far from Anita’s apartment. Located more towards the heart of the city, she doesn’t know why it always seems to be dead. Sure, the run-down industrial vibe of the bar attracts a rather gruff crowd, but the place was in a prime spot for everyone. No one would ever guess that it was a Friday night here. The bar, while having patrons, was terribly empty compared to the other bars in the area. When Anita walks in, she’s greeted by a few grunts and side glances, not the usual swarm of people trying to convince her to give them an autograph. She sighs a heavy sigh a relief. No wonder she always came here. For her, more isn’t always merrier and if she could keep it that way, she would. 

As she walks in, Anita waves at the bartender, asking for the usuals. She spots her company at her usual table in the corner. A lone woman in red, baggy pants, a cropped jacket of the same color, and teal accents from her undershirt sit lounged back with her feet wrapped around the chair legs. The woman twidles her thumbs, not bothering to look remotely entertained. Anita could feel a grin creep across her face as her feet drew closer to the woman.

“Damn, you’re not even going to pretend to be excited to see me?” Anita’s voice comes out a little hoarse, her throat still sore from the match only days prior. She effortlessly slides into the seat across from the woman. The woman sits up suddenly making her lopsided ponytail swing. She gives Anita a warm, crooked smile.

“About time you dragged your ass up here!” The woman exclaims, reaching across the table to grab Anita by the shoulders. The woman’s Indian accent reverberates off the wall of the building, filling in every inch of empty space.

“Ramya Parekh,” Anita chuckles, shaking her head. “How’s my favorite gunsmith doing?”

Ramya lets go of Anita’s shoulders, letting the bartender who silently made an appearance set down their drinks. “Better now that I got the drinks I was promised.” She reaches for hers, offering a toast to her company. Anita accepts, giving her a warm smile. “Though I have to admit, I can’t get over how basic you are.” Ramya raises an eyebrow at Anita who casually sips on an Old Fashioned. 

“Ah, and your ‘ _Alizé Bleu with a splash of Club_ ’ isn’t? I see how it is,” Anita tries her best at a mock mid-atlantic accent, rolling her eyes. Ramya always dared to call her out on just about anything she did. The closest thing to a friend Anita chooses to have in the Outlands, she always appreciated the banter that occurred between them. 

The gunsmith only shrugs, taking a long sip with a smile across her face. Anita studies her intensely. Ramya’s golden nose ring sticks out against her tan, wheatish-brown skin. Her dark eyeliner matches her dark hair and only enhances her delicate brown eyes. Her teal bindi matches both her undershirt and her drink, making it the seal that ties her entire look together. 

Anita couldn’t help but stare. If she had to choose anyone she looked forward to seeing when hiatus arrived, it would be Ramya. Starting as a casual acquaintanceship, Anita quickly became Ramya’s best customer, and then slowly but surely that acquaintanceship turned into the unthinkable for Anita… Friendship. And even slower than that, that friendship started brewing into something more. Something Anita never really cared about denying anymore. 

“You, uh, okay there, Curls?” Ramya’s voice cuts through Anita’s train of thought. Anita blinks a couple of times, making herself return to the here and now. She watches as Ramya gets a smile creeping across her face. “Are you dreaming about the piece of art you hired me for, or are you dreaming about me?”

Anita feels the heat rise in her cheeks. Right… there was an actual reason they were getting together this weekend. “You know it’s always about your craft, P,” Anita chuckles, trying to play off her slight embarrassment. “I’m tryna save, but when there are craftsmen like you out here? It’s nearly impossible.”

Ramya only lets out a chuckle of her own as she reaches into her jacket. She pulls out a P2020, setting it on the table and sliding it towards Anita. Anita reaches for it, a mischievous grin taking over her face. It was a thing of beauty for sure. The custom modification slimed down the barrel so it’s not square like normal P2020s. This allowed for the opportunity to add extras below the barrel like a pointer or a light. Perfectly balanced, it almost feels weightless when Anita picks it up to examine the finer details. 

On one side is the phrase “Time to Drop” is etched in gold, making to stand out against the black body of the weapon. On the other side is one of her iconic smoke canisters slowly leaking smoke. Tucked in the top corner of the same side is Ramya’s iconic signature. The rest of the firearm is trimmed in gold, making it look like it belongs in the hands of a socialite instead of a former soldier turned bloodsport addict. Anita starts to rack the slide but Ramya quickly reaches out, stopping her.

“I’ve got a blank in there,” she simply says. "Take the shot, eh?” 

Anita raises an eyebrow. _Shoot the damn thing? In here?_ Her finger hesitates over the trigger. Never in her life did she ever think she would be afraid to take such a harmless shot, but here she was, reluctant to pull the trigger. Ramya rolls her eyes. She places her hand over Anita’s, slightly intertwining their fingers to give her control. She guides Anita’s finger past the trigger guard to the actual trigger and squeezes slowly. 

The round fires, sending a single, loud pop throughout the bar. While the bar goes completely quiet from the noise, neither of them flinch. In all actuality, the silence was exactly what they needed. As soon as the mag is emptied, the next person to speak isn’t Anita or Ramya or another patron, it was the gun itself. 

“Bang bang, motherfucker!” Anita’s recorded voice comes through the firearm. 

The real Anita’s face lights up in excitement as if she were a kid in a candy store. She gives the gun several more turns in her hand. “P, what?! You did it!” Anita turns to Ramya, her mouth still not closed. Ramya laughs at her. The two make eye contact, and Anita can see the warmness and admiration in her friend's eyes. 

“You asked me for it, so I did it,” Ramya says, still laughing. “Every time the mag empties, you’ll have yourself a surprise.” Her laugh subsides as she just gets the biggest grin on her face. “All three quips are there. Just like you asked.”

_All three quips_. The thought runs through Anita’s mind over and over again. Aside from the first one, the other two were a little more nostalgic. One of them a quote Jackson would always say to her at the range and the other being a saying her mother would say right before any of them would get deployed. Anita knew Ramya was the best in the business, but she also knew audio mods were the hardest to incorporate in any weapon. So, the fact that she not only managed to figure it out but was able to do it three times? It was almost unheard of. 

“Man, P, I know I already paid ya,” Anita starts, her mouth opening and closing as she looks for the right words. Knowing how hard Ramya worked on this, how could she? She looks towards Ramya, trying to finish her sentence. “But, this… you outdid yourself this time, Ramya. This is more I could’ve asked for… I could- I could just ki—” 

Anita chokes, realizing what she was about to just say. Her cheeks feel like they’re on fire, embarrassment taking over her mind. Her and Ramya had their fair share of encounters in the past. Just about the only person close to her, she let herself be more open around Ramya. But, no matter how much Ramya expressed interest in something more tangible, Anita always made sure to brush it to the side. It was always "no friends equal no loss" for her. However, deep down, Anita felt the aching, longing nag in the pit of her stomach. She knew she had a desire for more, but would she ever be able to permit herself?

“You could just what?” Ramya's voice lowers, trying to make sure the rest of the bar couldn’t hear even though they went back to their normal antics some time ago. Anita could feel her eyes on her even though she’s staring at the table, trying to hide the pink that has taken over her face.

Ramya reaches and places a hand under Anita’s chin, lifting her head so she could look her in the eyes. Anita gulps, her palms sweaty no matter how many times she wipes them on her pants. 

“What do you wanna do, _Sergeant_?” Ramya asks again, a mischievous grin creeping across her face. Anita notices Ramya’s eye flick to her lips and then back to her eyes. 

“I just- I just, uh,” Anita stutters, her eyes darting everywhere but towards Ramya.

Ramya lets out an exasperated chuckle. With her hand still under Anita’s chin, she raises her thumb and puts it over Anita’s lips to get her to stop talking. “Since you’re clearly so bad at talking… which, honestly, I should know by now…” She says, her voiced thought becoming more of a grumble under her breath than the first part of her sentence, “...why don’t you show me what you mean?”

Anita watches, almost helpless, as Ramya drops her hand from her chin and gets up out of her chair. Coming over to the solider, Ramya towers over Anita who is actively trying to make herself disappear. Ramya hooks her foot around Anita’s ankle, tugging slightly to get her to stand up. Anita feels her gaze travel to the back door as she slowly finds herself getting up out of her chair. Usually, she used that door to escape the reporters should they find her, but in this case, maybe it was going to be used for something entirely different. Once on her feet, Ramya grabs Anita’s hands and spins them in a one-eighty, making Anita’s back face the door. Ramya pulls her in close, their faces inches from each other. 

“Care to dance?” Ramya simply asks the other woman.

“Like we would during fights back in the good ol’ days, or like when we trip over each other’s feet in my kitchen?” Anita raises her eyebrows, bending her head to look at the slightly shorter woman. Before Ramya has a chance to even speak, Anita decides to answer her own question. “I guess it would depend on how dominant you feel like being tonight, hm?”

Ramya only laughs at Anita’s challenge. Her voice is low when she says, “Then I suggest you start moving backward so I don’t have to make a scene.” 

She leans into the legend, making her take steps back towards the door. Adding a little resistance, Anita makes Ramya push harder to get her outside. The gunsmith grunts, unhappy with how much she’s going to have to work. She pushes even harder, Anita now stumbling back in the process. Anita shivers when she finally feels the cold metal of the door reach through her shirt and touch her back.

Pushing it open, the pair find themselves entering the cooler Solace night. The sounds of early nightlife still echo throughout the back alley they are now standing in. Car engines and horns, drunken shouts, and distant club music all become their new background noise as the two shuffle away from the entrance, vying for dominance. Finally finding themselves against the brick wall of the bar, Anita takes the top spot. She traps Ramya against the wall with her shoulders and arms square, a hand positioned on the wall on either side of her head. Being amongst the trash bags, cardboard boxes, and dumpsters wasn't exactly ideal for either one of them but privacy was privacy.

“You worked so hard to get me out here, yet you couldn’t even take the victory,” Anita says, her voice a low, playful growl. 

Ramya only looks Anita up and down, sizing her up. “Maybe I let you win. Ever think about that one?” 

“Oh, is that so?” Anita leans in closer, her voice going even lower. 

Fully expecting an answer, Anita started to shift back to her original position. However, Ramya had a completely different plan. Anita watches as Ramya gently hooks her fingers in her collar, pulling her close. Anita accepts the pull, bending her elbows slightly to fall into the intimacy. With Anita leaning down and Ramya shifting her head upward, the two come together, lips connecting like long lost puzzle pieces. Anita melts into the kiss, her muscles instantly relaxing. She takes a deep breath, catching the scent of lavender and sweet orange. It was Ramya's signature scent. For Anita, it took her to a familiar place, a safe place. She feels herself hum against Ramya’s lips, savoring the time, the place, and the feeling. 

Pulling apart, Anita looks down, taking in Ramya’s pure beauty. Even though there were no lights behind the building, Solace’s three moons gave them all the light they need. Anita could see every part of her counterpart’s face. She drinks the fine details, wondering how someone so talented in the rough art of gunsmithing could be so delicate at the same time. 

Anita looks into Ramya’s eyes, feeling the disembodied pull to lean in once again. Their second kiss was harder than the first one, noses almost going flat as they squish against each other. Ramya puts her arms around Anita’s shoulders, making her stay in her position. She welcomes it, pleased that Ramya wants her to stay for so long. Her stomach comes alive when she feels Ramya’s hands run across her shoulders and down her arms, deliberately tracing her muscle lines back and forth. This time it was Ramya’s turn to let out a small moan, making Anita sense that she longing for so much more.

When they break again, Ramya immediately puts her hands behind Anita’s neck, uniting them once again. This time, Ramya takes the lead as Anita feels her lightly brush her tongue against her bottom lip, asking for entry. She eagerly grants it, her mind now going blank from the passion. With each passing of their tongues, Anita finds Ramya’s hands slowly creeping up into her hair, her fingers lightly touching the base of her natural hair before it makes it’s way to the fade. 

Anita lets out a breath, sensory overload taking over. She takes the smallest of breaks before finding herself laying claim to Ramya’s lips once again. However this time it was faster, harder, _stronger._ She not only falls into Ramya’s lips but Ramya herself. Anita drops her arms for the first time since the beginning. She immediately lets them fall to her waist, her hands searching far and wide. Staggering their legs, Anita places a knee in between Ramya’s, making sure her knee makes contact with the brick behind it for stability. She brings her body closer still, torsos now perfectly against each other, fitting like a glove. Anita feels Ramya finally makes her way to her hair, gripping and ungripping the base with each shift of movement. 

Here, they lost themselves. No one was around to bother them, to break them up. Every thought and care in the world had erased itself from their minds. Here, they could just live in the present. They could focus on every inhale and every exhale. They could effortlessly map out each other’s lips and figures, leaving no part a mystery. 

Neither of them knows how long they stayed there. Maybe it a few seconds or several minutes. Either way, Anita is brought out of her trance when she feels Ramya’s hands drop to her hips and aggressively yank at her belt buckle, closing a gap between them Anita didn't even know existed. Anita looks into Ramya’s eyes, instantly recognizing how hungry they were. Anita smirks, knowing she wanted the same thing.

“My place?” Those were the only two she words she needed to voice to Ramya, knowing full well where this encounter was heading. 

With another overly aggressive yank at Anita’s belt, Ramya could only muster a few words herself. “Most definitely your place.”


End file.
